Every Friday, Nechama Backman rushes manically to finish preparing 33 whole chickens, 400 gefilte fish balls, 15 trays of kugel, 10 pounds of green beans and 15 freshly baked loaves of Challah.

Backman and her husband, Rabbi Eli Backman, are used to preparing large meals for their five children, but Friday night dinners are a bit different as more than 100 hungry student guests descend on their Hopkins Avenue home every week. Capped off by salad, soup and dessert - which last week was eight pumpkin pies - the Backmans are serving up a Shabbat meal of mass proportions.

Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest, traditionally begun after sundown with an intimate meal among friends and family. As a part of the Chabad movement, the Backmans are providing a family-like setting for many Jewish university students from across the globe who are craving a home-cooked Shabbat meal but can't be at home with their own family. Although Jewish religious law requires that no one work, eating is a must.

"There's a lot that goes on until the minute of Shabbat," said Nechama, standing in her kitchen, which contains three ovens (an industrial-sized oven is down the hall, too) and 45 different cook books. "Everything is homemade. The recipes I can't give out until you get married or graduate. That's a Chabad rule."

Other Chabad rules: Don't leave with an empty stomach, relax, enjoy yourself and if at all possible meet your soul mate. A few couples have even married after first meeting at these Shabbat dinners. The social aspect of Chabad has contributed to its rise in popularity, and the tradition is a rising global trend among Jews with 3,000 Chabad centers, like the Backmans', now found in 70 countries.

"It's a place for everyone," Eli said. "The open-door, non-judgmental, exciting Jewish experience you should be able to get anywhere."

In College Park, the center has steadily gained in popularity since the Backmans built a large addition to the former Zeta Psi fraternity house in 2002. The couple, who still rent rooms in the house to eight tenants, lived in a basement apartment there since 1995. But as their family grew - their five children are ages one through 10 - they moved into the addition with help from several alumni and community donors.